Princess of the Spirit World
by Jess-chan of the Nya Nya Neko
Summary: YusukeBotan pairing. The princess of Reikai is lost and there is a great reward for anyone who can find her, and reunite the lost princess to her grandmother...
1. Chapter 1

This is my newest story -a Botan/Yusuke ficclet based on the movie 'Anastasia'. It has some similarities, but it's also very different. It's obviously AU, but there shouldn't be too many of my own charaters mixed in...

**Dedication:** to 'Botan Urameshi' because I told her early on in Dreaming in Reality that I would write a Botan/Yusuke fic for her! Here is is girl!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Anastasia or Yu Yu Hakusho... duh.

**

* * *

Princess of the Spirit World**

The moon was full, and its light spilled over the large palace that looked nearly golden in the lights that were not the moon cast upon it. It shone brightly, and many people were coming in carriages to the beautiful building. A few people even flew on things such as oars, or carpets, or any other big thing that could possibly fly.

It was a big event. The new King would be crowned that night, so his family was having a ball. Everyone was invited to the cordial event, but none were as bright as the new king's daughter, Botan.

She was only five at the time, still bustling with energy. She ran to and fro among all the visitors, beaming happily from ear to ear as the people complimented her dress, or her hair, etc. It was only when her grandmother called her over that she calmed down a bit.

"Come here, my dear, I have a present to give to you." She said. Botan smiled happily and settled beside her grandmother.

"What is it; please, tell me what it is!"

"Why don't I just give it to you now?" the woman smiled kindly as she pulled something out of her purse. It was round, and had four legs on which to stand. It was encrusted in gold, with a dark green filling in the middle.

"What is it, grandmother?"

"It's a music box, lovely." And she handed it to Botan. The little girl struggled for a moment to pry the music box open, but found that it was stuck.

"I can't open it, grandmother!" she cried, "That's a mean trick!"

"My dear, the key is around your very neck." The woman pointed to the small necklace hanging from Botan's neck, and smiled as she watched the child open the locket she had gotten as a present last year.

"Like this, grandmother?" Botan showed her how she was holding the key and the music box, and, upon receiving a nod, she opened the box by pressing her opened locket into the seal for it.

The lid popped open, and a soothing melody filled the air around them.

"It's our song!" Botan cried happily, her eyes alight with enthusiasm. Her grandmother laughed and nodded, as they began to sing along with the music box.

_"Far away, long ago,  
Glowing dim as an ember  
Things my heart used to know  
Once Upon A December…"_

Brown eyes looked upon the scene, watching from behind the chair the old woman sat in. He was just a worker in the kitchens, but who's to say he can't look to see how many people were there?

If only that was the case; he was only watching the blue-haired girl and the older woman as they sang together.

"Yusuke!" a sharp cry rang from behind him. "Yusuke, you brat! Get back to work!" Unwillingly, he was ripped from the door he had been peeking out of, and thrown back into the kitchen.

"_And a song  
Someone sings  
Once upon a December."_

As the song came to a close, the blue-haired child closed the music box, and took it in her hands. She smiled brightly at her grandmother.

"Oh, thank you, grandmother!" Botan cried, launching herself into the woman's arms.

The moment was cut short, however, by the sudden darkness that wrapped around them.

"The electricity!"

"I can't see!"

"Someone, turn the lights back on!"

The lights flickered –once, twice; and then came on completely. The dark man standing in the center of the room quickly broke the calm of the returning light as he laughed darkly.

The people around him moved away as fast as they could, leaving a clear circle around him. He glared up, staring straight at Koenma.

"I told you I'd be free one day, and that I'd come back for you." He said loudly. A spark of green came off his right hand, followed by many others. "Today is my revenge for all those years I was trapped in that hell-hole you call prison!"

The floor around him was covered in those green sparks, and Botan was horrified to find that they began to move. A scream tore through the open room, and then everyone began running away. Botan only had enough time to see the sparks morph into some sort of small demonic imp before her grandmother pulled her along towards the kitchens.

Botan could barely keep up with her, but she tried with all her might. Her grandmother was fast, and Botan's short legs were struggling to keep up.

"Get everyone out of the kitchens!" she told the head chef as they passed him. Briefly, he nodded, before turning to tell everyone to clear out. A black blur ran past him, following the path that the royal family had taken.

"Yusuke!" he shouted at the blur. Then he sighed, and ordered everyone else out of the kitchens. Just in time, for the green imps began squeezing through the cracks in the doors. The people didn't need to be told twice.

Vaguely, Botan realized what her grandmother was doing –she was going to the train station located at the back of the palace. Many people had arrived that way, and the train had to remain there to get them back home.

Sure enough, the train was still there, and her grandmother ushered her onto it quickly. There were already others rushing on as well, and the conductor looked slightly overwhelmed.

"Sir, I order you to start this train. We are no longer safe here." The woman told him fiercely.

"Y-yes, milady." He stuttered, before signaling the take-off of the train.

"Botan, get up to the engine room." Her grandmother told her. "Quickly!" she added. The demons were coming out of the palace, and rapidly approached the train.

Botan tore through the train, moving farther and farther away from her grandmother that she thought was behind her. As she got to the last compartment before the engine, she realized her grandmother was nowhere to be found.

"Grandmother!" she cried helplessly.

"Stop shouting or they'll get us both!" a voice sounded from the door. A boy stood, closing the door, and leaning against it. He had brown eyes that stared at her, and black hair as well.

"Who are you?" she asked him, overcoming her panic for a moment.

"Never mind that; they're coming!" he told her, running from the door. He grabbed her hand and brought her to the far wall. Quickly, he shoved away a large painting that covered from ceiling to floor and revealed a latch. He unlocked the hidden doorway and quickly shoved the small princess inside.

"Stay safe." He told her, before shutting the door and making her world go black. She listened intently, too afraid to move, to the sounds outside the door. She felt the train lurch to a start, and continue to move along the tracks.

And then she heard the sound of tearing metal –a horrid, screeching sound that had her covering her ears in pain. Then, an explosion from a distance –and, finally, silence.

She kicked open the portal she had been pushed through, and tumbled out of her small chamber. She looked around frantically, searching for anyone. The door had been ripped off of the hinges, and instead there was a large gap where the door had been. There was nothing else after it –her train cart was the only one still attached to the engine.

There was no one else with her.

With tears streaming down her face, she curled up into a ball and closed her eyes to the world, allowing the train to take her away from the world she once knew, and into an unknown place. She didn't even notice that somewhere along the way, she had lost her new music box.

* * *

So, there you go! This story will (hopefully) only have five parts -that's what I'm planning for, anyway... it's not completely written yet, but it's getting there.

Please; Read and Review!!!


	2. Chapter 2

**Princess of the Spirit World  
Chapter two**

"Now, I got you a job at the Fish market."

"Good-bye, everyone!"

"You walk straight down the road, and take a left at the fork…"

"I'll miss you too!"

"Are you even listening to me, girl?!"

The young woman straightened her back towards her guardian for the past fourteen years. "Of course, Miss." She agreed, keeping her violet eyes as innocent as possible.

"Listen, girl," she tugged the orphan down to her level with the scarf that was around her neck, "You have been a thorn in my side for over a decade! I have cleaned you, fed you, clothed you," she continued to ramble on while walking towards the gate, unknowing that the girl behind her was mimicking her words mockingly.

"Yes, Miss; I will never forget all the wonderful things you've done for me." The orphan stated bitterly.

"Don't try to butter me up now; it won't work."

"Of course, Miss."

"Now, walk straight down this road 'til you get to the fork –and then, take a –"

"Take a left, I know how to get there." The younger woman interrupted.

"How is it you remember that, but don't even remember where you came from?!" the older woman shouted pushing open the gate.

"Good-bye!" she shouted again, waving to the other orphans that were still inside the house she was leaving. The violet-eyed girl ran out the gate, leaving it behind. Her coat that was two sizes too big fluttered around her, and she had to hold her hat on in the harsh wind that blew.

Soon enough, the wind stopped and the sky cleared. Such weather was common in Makai. It was always fluctuating madly, and rarely ever remained the same for more than an hour or two.

The girl fiddled with her necklace. It was a locket, and she had it in her possession before she even went to the orphanage. It was the only thing that was actually _hers_. She didn't even have a past to call her own; it was only the necklace.

She arrived at the fork in the road and stopped. She looked left and then right. She knew she couldn't dawdle too long –a demon might find her here, helpless; and then she'd be in big trouble.

Before she could make her decision, she fell forward, and just barely caught herself before she hit the ground. Something had hit her in the back of the head. Something _hard_ had hit her…

She raised her head and looked around for the thing that had knocked her over. She blinked once, as her eyes landed on something.

It was blue, and egg-shaped. It had a mass of black hair on its head, and its flapping ears were keeping it hovering above the ground. It had very short, stubby arms, and large feet, and a beak as well.

"Puu?" it cooed softly. She blinked again. It was…

"You're so cute!" the orphan squealed, taking the blue… thing… in her arms. It 'puu'ed again happily as she continued to hold it.

"Where should we go, Puu?" she asked, her violet eyes shining as she smiled. Puu flew around the girl once, and then headed off to the right. "Okay, then, that's where we're going!"

And she marched down that path, just as the weather began to cloud over again.

* * *

"One ticket to Reikai, please." 

"Reikai?! REIKAI?!"

"Yes, Reikai."

"NO REIKAI!!" and the window was shut with a force. The orphan blinked, surprised at the ticket-demon's attitude. She only wanted one ticket…

"You need to get to Reikai?"

She turned to see a woman behind her, older, and smoking a cigarette. The orphan couldn't tell if she was a demon or not. Either way, she nodded in response to the question.

"Go see Yusuke, he can help you. He's at the old palace just downtown." She coughed, then; probably because of the cigarette. "But, you didn't hear it from me."

"Oh, okay…" the orphan nodded, "Thank you!" and she turned with Puu in her arms, and ran towards 'downtown'.

* * *

The palace was huge, but deserted. The windows and doors were boarded up, but she wandered around, trying to find an entrance. Finally, Puu squeezed in through a small opening in the wood. 

"Puu!" she called, reaching in through the hole. Before she knew it, the wood cracked, and she fell forward, inside the building.

"Well, that works…" she muttered, breathing in deeply as she stood from the broken wood pieces.

They entered into a huge ballroom, but it was dark and dusty. As she looked around, a soft melody entered her mind, and she remembered the words to a song. Slowly, she began to sing.

"_Dancing bears,  
Painted wings,  
Things I almost remember,  
And a song someone sings,  
Once upon a December_

"_Someone holds me,  
Safe and warm,  
Horses prance through a silver storm,  
Figures dancing gracefully,  
Across my memory..."  
_

People –there were hundreds of people, all dressed beautifully. They danced with each other, circling around and around. They were so gorgeous.

_"Far away, long ago,  
Glowing dim as an ember  
Things my heart used to know  
Once Upon A December…"_

She joined them, running through the crowd and spinning around. Her clothes changed to a beautiful gown that fell to her ankles. Three other girls met her and touched her right hand to theirs one at a time. She knew them –her sisters; Keiko, Shizuka, and Genkai…

"_Someone holds me  
Safe and warm,  
Horses prance through a silver storm,  
Figures dancing gracefully  
Across my memory.  
_

And then the crowd parted. She turned to see who was coming, and was greeted by the sight of her father. King Koenma. He smiled at her, and they danced as father and child.

Finally, she bowed to her father as the song ended; her dress flared out around her. Her father was smiling at her proudly.

"Hey you!"

The people around her disappeared, her father vanished, and she was clothed again in her ratty robes from the orphanage.

"How did you get in here!?" the voice cried angrily.

She ran away from the voice, and gathered Puu up in her left arm. Briefly, she heard a strangled "wait!" but didn't bother to hear if she was right. She had been beaten before for being in places that she wasn't supposed to be in –she wasn't taking any chances.

"Damn it, just wait!" and a hand caught her wrist. She couldn't keep running, so she whipped around to face the person who was holding her in place.

Her eyes met with a boy about her age, or a little older, with fierce brown eyes and slick black hair. He held her wrist with one hand, and she could feel the power coming from him.

"How did you even get in here?!" he exclaimed, and then looked past her. His gaze flickered from behind her, and then back to her many times; and he looked shocked.

"I'm sorry, if you just let me go…"

"Whoa; Urameshi, who's that?" another man joined them. He had a long face, with orange hair. His voice was scratchy, and he came up beside her captor.

He released her wrist, "Kuwabara, look…" he said, "Do you see it?!" and the orange haired man's eyes widened and he gasped.

"She looks just like…"

"Excuse me; but, do either of you know of a person named Yusuke?" There was silence after her question, but then the black-haired man shook his head to clear his mind.

"My name is Yusuke; how can I help you?"

"Well… I'm trying to get to Reikai; and I heard that you could help me get there…" she told them, still holding Puu in her arms.

"It is correct that we can help you get to Reikai, but only if you are the missing Princess Botan." He gestured with his hand behind her, and she turned. There, on the wall, was a large portrait of a family. It seemed almost familiar…

There was a man with brown hair and brown eyes, he looked young, but she knew he wasn't. Around him were four girls –one had blue hair and violet eyes, just like she did. It wasn't uncommon, though, to have odd color combinations in Makai. Beside the man was an older woman, with a crown on her head.

It was the royal family.

"If you are the missing princess, we can get you to Reikai." Yusuke's voice sounded again, echoing behind her. "But, if you're not, we can't help you…"

"But… I need to get there!" she exclaimed, turning around again. "I know that I need to get there –that's the only thing I know!"

"The only thing? What does that mean?" the man beside Yusuke asked.

"I can't remember anything else from my past –just that I need to get to Reikai."

"Oh; Kuwabara, she can't remember her past…"

"I heard her, Yusuke."

"Well, maybe she is the princess!"

"What?!" the orphan exclaimed, clearly thinking him crazy.

"Think about it," Yusuke said, running up to where she was and turning her around to face the picture, "No one knows where she is –you don't know where you were. All we know is that she escaped somehow, because of her grandmother. The similarities between you two are endless, and I'm sure that if we just went to the Queen and talked to her, she would be able to tell you if you were or weren't her granddaughter."

"But, isn't it a bit absurd? Me, going to this lady, and asking if I was the princess just because I can't remember by past?"

"No; you see, Kuwabara and I can teach you all about the princess and the royal family. Then, you can go meet the lady, and she'll know if you are or aren't her relative. I mean… just look at the resemblance…" he gestured again to the picture, and this time, the orphan turned and looked closely at the young girl who resembled her.

The truth was, that's how she would've pictured herself had she ever needed to imagine herself as a small child. Blue hair was tied back at the nape of her neck, and short bangs covered her forehead. Big, violet eyes stared back at similar eyes; and the orphan looked back to Yusuke.

"Well… it wouldn't hurt, really… I suppose it makes sense… I mean; she'll be able to tell me if I am the princess –and even if I'm not, I'll still be in Reikai anyway, right?"

"Right!" Yusuke supplied, grinning that he had gotten his way.

"Right; so… I guess that I could go along with you as the Princess Botan."

"Wonderful!" Yusuke cried, walking to her. He placed his hand against the small of her back and led her back to his comrade, Kuwabara. "And, what shall we call you?"

"Hanaka; written in kanji as 'peony flower'."

* * *

And, voila; the next chapter of Princess of the Spirit World... (I keep wondering if I should come up with a new title...) The next chapter will contain their journey to Reikai; and hopefully a bit of Yusuke and Botan fluff (if I can bring myself to do it...) 

Oh, and, as to the name I gave Botan... literally, it means 'Child/daughter of flowers',(I think) but I changed it slightly. 'Hana' means flowers; and the word for 'peony' is 'kaou' -I shortened that to 'ka' and added it on to 'hana' and there you have 'Hanaka'! And, I named her that, because we all know that 'Botan' means peony... so, duh!

I hope you enjoyed it!! Oh; and, not to gossip; but did you hear about this really cool thing called **reviewing**?? Apparently, it's all the rage! All you need to do is press the little button in the bottom left hand corner of your screen, and it almost does everything for you!! Why don't you try it out??...


	3. Chapter 3

I am so sorry for the long wait. I'm hoping to update this sooner next time.

On another note, the character of Botan will be called Hanaka in this chapter. This is the name that she knows herself as, and this is the name Yusuke and Kuwabara know her as. She doesn't really think she's Botan yet, so she will be referred to as Hanaka. It's the same character. Just so you know. :)

Otherwise... enjoy!

Princess of the Spirit World

Chapter Three

The train to Reikai bumbled down the tracks merrily with three illegal passengers aboard –four, if including Puu. Of course, Hanaka was completely oblivious to the illegality of their boarding, and slept for the beginning of the trip.

Yusuke and Kuwabara (and Puu) sat in the compartment with her while she slept, talking quietly to each other.

"Do you really think she is going to be able to do this?"

"You said it yourself," Kuwabara answered, "She looks like the princess, if the princess were older."

"Yes… yes, I suppose so." Yusuke looked over at the sleeping girl, watching her carefully. She did resemble the princess, and even the royal family, quite a lot. Even the way she walked seemed to have a sort of royal air, although she had been at an orphanage for years. She had the same eyes as the elder queen –the one who survived, and still lived in Reikai. The one who would have the final say in if this girl was the princess, and if they would get the reward money.

"Oi, Yusuke," the raven haired boy looked back to his friend, "You've been staring at her for two minutes."

"I have not been staring," Yusuke scoffed. "I was just thinking about the plan and how well it's going to turn out, and how me and you are gonna be rich after this. It will be great!" he said firmly, sinking back into his seat with a smile on his face. Kuwabara grinned back.

Puu, resting on the empty seat next to Kuwabara, looked out the window of the train. Without the other two conscious occupants noticing, a small green imp peeked in at him. "Puu!" the small blue animal sounded, "Puu!"

"Shut up, Puu," Yusuke hushed. With a nasty face in his direction, the imp flew away from their compartment. Puu flew into his mistress's arms, waking her up by the movement.

"Oh," she rubbed her eyes, "What's going on?"

"Nothing at all," Kuwabara told her while getting up. "I'm going to go find the snack car. I'll be right back."

Hanaka held Puu up with a smile, "What's wrong, Puu? Did something frighten you outside?"

"Puu,"

"There's nothing outside," Yusuke interjected, eyes closed and feet reclining on the seats across from him, "He's just a needy blue blob is all."

"I didn't ask you." Hanaka snapped, sticking her tongue out before returning back to Puu with a smile. "Don't worry about him, Puu, he's just mean and grumpy." Yusuke 'hrumphed' at her, blinking one eye open.

"I don't see you trying to be nice to me."

Hanaka stared at him with violet eyes. "Fine, then." She leaned in very close to him, staring straight into his eyes. He leaned back as she got closer, shocked and very thrown off. She stopped when she was five inches from his face. For a moment she only stared at him.

"You have nice eyes." She spoke quickly before leaning back into an upright position, turning away from him to look straight ahead at Puu. He stared at her.

"That's your attempt at being nice?"

"The least you could do is give me a compliment in return."

He snorted, "Okay. 'You have nice eyes'." He mocked, imitating her voice with a high pitched squeak. Her head whirled to face him, eyes burning in irritation.

"At least I actually tried to be nice. You're just being a jerk."

Yusuke floundered for a response, and in that moment Puu flew up towards the ceiling before settling himself on Yusuke's head. There was silence in the compartment before Hanaka burst out laughing.

"Hey!" she didn't stop laughing, "It's… it's not that funny! Get this thing off of me!" Yusuke tried pulling Puu off of him, but the blue creature refused to move. Hanaka did not stop laughing even after Yusuke stopped trying to get Puu off of his head. The black haired man silently steamed and Hanaka barely even covered her laughter.

Kuwabara re-entered the compartment, looking slightly worried. "Yusuke, I, uh, need to talk to you quickly." Yusuke rose, and they huddled in the corner of the small booth, voices too soft for Hanaka to hear. Finally, Yusuke whirled around to look at her, an almost nervous smile on his face.

"Princess," he started, "it seems that we have to move to another compartment. If you would be so kind," he gestured towards the door and she stood, trying not to laugh because Puu was still on his head. The two men followed her with their luggage and they slowly moved towards the front of the train.

When they reached the luggage compartment, they stopped. Hanaka turned to the boys, a suspicious look on her face, "Why are we in here?"

"We thought you needed some more space from the commoners that were around you so much," Kuwabara supplied.

"Oh, so it's nothing illegal that I have to worry about?" she asked, not believing them for a second.

"Of course not, Princess," Yusuke said, almost bowing, "Of course not."

Hanaka decided not to comment on that and just let it be. She didn't really care what happened as long as she got to Reikai. She knew her family was there. They had to be.

The train gave a sharp lurch and all three people fell backwards. As soon as he could, Yusuke looked out the car door, only to see that they had been disconnected from the rest of the passenger train. His eyes widened and he looked around. He could feel the train get faster. Had they been outside of the train, they would have seen the green imps making sure that they were trapped in the fast-moving train. They wanted the girl to die, like she was supposed to over a decade ago.

"This train isn't going to stop for a while," he breathed, knowing that it was going too fast to come to a halt anytime soon.

"Well, won't it eventually stop due to friction?" Kuwabara asked.

"That's only if we have enough track," Yusuke started.

"Speaking of having enough track… we don't."

Both men looked to Hanaka who was at the front of the compartment, looking out of the window on the door. They rushed to where she stood only to see that a bridge up ahead had fallen apart. They only had another mile or so of track before they would plummet to their deaths.

Yusuke stepped in front of the other two, ripping the door open and looking down to the link between their car and the engine car. Even standing, he could see that the links had melded together, making them impossible to separate. He looked around desperately, needing something to slow down this train.

"We need to slow down." Yusuke said loudly, beginning to search for anything to help. "We need to slow down." It became something like his mantra.

"Yusuke, we just have to jump," Kuwabara started.

"We are going too fast to do that and not be injured terribly. We need to slow down."

"I found a chain!" Hanaka shouted, "I found a chain –maybe we can attach it to the train and then make it catch on the tracks. It should slow us down enough that we could jump."

"Not if we're still attached to the engine…" Yusuke said. He sighed, looking at Kuwabara with a helpless expression on his face. "I'm going to do something now, and it's going to leave me exhausted afterward. Do you understand?"

Kuwabara looked at his friend seriously. He knew what Yusuke was going to do. He would use his spirit energy to separate them from the engine. He had seen him do it once before, and afterward Yusuke had slept for a day. He called it a spirit gun. Kuwabara could only pray that it would work. He nodded at his friend.

"Hanaka, go with Kuwabara behind those crates. You'll be safter there."

The blue haired girl looked at him suspiciously before following his orders. The two knelt behind crates close to the end of the compartment while Yusuke traveled to the front of it. He put his hands together and concentrated hard on the point just in front of his fingers.

Hanaka and Kuwabara heard a loud explosion before the compartment lurched again. They began slowing down almost immediately, but not enough. They both stood quickly to see Yusuke breathing heavily, turned to look back at them.

"Where's that chain you found?"

Hanaka ran to get the chain from across the compartment and Yusuke stumbled over to the other end of it.

"Yusuke, maybe I should attach it…"

"I am smaller than you. Less chance of debris hitting me. I can last." He muttered, climbing out of the car and under it. He looped the chain around anything he could find twice before climbing back up. "Hold on!" He threw the other end of the chain onto the tracks.

With a violent pitch forward, the chain caught and rocked the car off the tracks completely. Still moving fast towards the cliff, the three gathered on the edge of the car, looking down into the heavy snow surrounding them.

"It's now or never," Hanaka breathed before taking both of their hands and pulling them with her as she jumped. For a moment, all she saw was black. When she opened her eyes, everything was white. She pulled herself through the snow and then saw the sky. She looked down the tracks, only to see the compartment they had been on plummet off of the edge of the cliff. She shuddered before looking for the two men.

Kuwabara popped up out of the snow somewhere to her left. Immediately, she turned to the right to look for Yusuke. He was not appearing. She looked around again frantically before Puu came up from the snow. She knelt next to the animal and dug through the snow before finally finding him. His eyes were closed and he didn't seem injured. She held him close to her and realized that he was sleeping. She felt relief run through her. Puu settled on her shoulder, and she silently thanked the creature for resting on the man's head. Without him, she would have never found Yusuke.

"I'll carry him. Come on, we have a long way to go tonight."

She looked up to see Kuwabara offering her his hand. She nodded and took his hand before watching him pick up his friend. Together, they walked away from the tracks and followed the ridge of the cliff, hoping to reach a town soon.

Elsewhere, a dark man grit his teeth as he watched them walk away, in his crystal ball, from what should have been their deaths.


End file.
